Numerical Superiority and Inferiority Compared With Conventional Training on PTK and Executive Functions in Soccer

Universidad de Antioquia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Decision Making in Soccer Players and Executive Functions

Treatments: Behavioral: Tactical training in numerical superiority and numerical inferiority; Behavioral: Conventional training in numerical equality

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06092294

Procedural Tactical Knowledge

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is a great need to establish reliable evaluation and intervention protocols to improve the tactical component, decision making (DM) and procedural tactical knowledge (PTK) in soccer. Objectives: to determine the effects of a 12-week follow up numerical superiority and numerical inferiority tactical training program on PTK, which will be evaluated by calculating offensive, defensive and global effectiveness indexes (EI) of 24 amateur male soccer players, as well as the effect on their executive functions. Method: randomized controlled trial, with two groups in parallel, experimental group (EG) and control group (CG), with different measurements over time (pretest, intermediate test 1, intermediate test 2 and posttest).

Full description

Program characteristics: training frequency 5 times/week, 1 competition, frequency of stimulation of small side games (SSGs) and technical-tactical actions (ATT) of numerical superiority and inferiority 2 times/week, specific training time 30 to 42 minutes/session. The PTK will be evaluated through the Football Competence Observation System (FOCOS). Data analysis: Shapiro-Wilk will be applied and according to the results, the data will be summarized with means and standard deviation or with medians and interquartile ranges. A repeated measures design will be performed using ANOVA and MANOVA will also be performed. In addition, the assumption of homogeneity of the variances will be evaluated based on the Levene statistics. For executive functions, intragroup analysis will be performed using dependent Student's t-test or Wilcoxon. For intergroup analysis, t student for independent samples or U Mann Withney will be applied. Confidence intervals (CI95) and effect sizes for two tails will be reported, with an alpha (α) set at 0.05 and statistical power of 0.8 (1-β). Statistical significance (p≤0.05). SPSS version 27 and R version 4.0 will be used. Ethical aspects: the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki (2013) and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (resolution 8430/1993) will be followed, this research is of minimal risk.

Enrollment: 24 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 17 to 26 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Soccer players belonging to a soccer club.
• Who play the role of field players (all except goalkeepers).
• Who compete in the First B category of the Antioquia Soccer League in the 2023 season.
• Players between 17 and 26 years of age.
• Players with at least six months of experience in federated soccer.
• Players who do not present cognitive disorders that hinder learning, which can be identified through monitoring by coaches and/or tests conducted by the Neuropsychology staff.
• They must be affiliated to the contributory or subsidized health system.
• They must agree to participate in the study after knowing and signing the informed consent or assent, as appropriate.

Exclusion criteria

• Players with musculoskeletal disorders at the time of sample selection.
• Players recovering from injury.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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24 participants in 2 patient groups

Tactical training in numerical superiority and numerical inferiority

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will carry out a specific training program, with the objective of improving both offensive and defensive Tactical-Technical Actions (ATT) that will allow the increase of effectiveness indexes (EI) (offensive and defensive). The formats through which will train are Small Sided Games (SSGs) and ATT 2 against 1, 3 against 2 and 4 against 3 alternating them during the week (SSGs on Tuesdays and ATT on Thursdays). The characteristics of this training program are: training frequency 5 times/week, plus 1 competition on weekends, frequency of stimulation of the SSGs and ATT of numerical superiority and numerical inferiority 2 times/week, the specific training time assigned to the development of these formats and exercises will be 30 to 42 minutes/training session and will be carried out after the warm-up.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Tactical training in numerical superiority and numerical inferiority

Conventional training in numerical equality

Active Comparator group

Description:

On the other hand, the CG participants will perform conventional training. In the present study, conventional training is defined as ATTs performed in equal numbers in 1 against 1, 2 against 2 and 3 against 3 formats. Likewise, coaches will be asked not to carry out additional specific training with these formats, nor of SSGs or offensive or defensive ATT in numerical superiority and inferiority, specifically in 2 against 1, 3 against 2, or 4 against 3 formats, during the time of the study, to avoid confusion biases due to possible co-interventions. This CG training program will include individual, couples, and groups of three ATTs . The characteristics of this training program are: training frequency 5 times/week, 1 official competition on weekends, frequency of ATT stimulation in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 formats is 2 times/week, the specific training time allocated will be 40 minutes per training session and will be performed after the warm-up.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Conventional training in numerical equality